NTAEP January 2019 Meeting & News

Nathan Rains will give a presentation on his research and work over the last 8-10 years on Texas horned lizard. Nathan has been studying the feasibility of reintroducing Texas horned lizards (aka horny toads) back into areas where they've disappeared. The Texas horned lizard's range and distribution has declined over the past 30 years. Many people remember finding them throughout the DFW area when they were kids. It's also the one reptile most people seem to have a fond relationship with! Nathan has been working hard the last few years with the Fort Worth Zoo in a collaborative effort to restore a population thru translocation and captive breeding. We're still in the "learning" phase but this project has drawn a ton of public interest and exposure.

Nathan graduated from Texas A&M in 1994 with a B.S in Wildlife Biology. He then received a M.S from LSU in 1998, also in Wildlife Biology. He is currently the Diversity Biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Division, Region 2, which is the central swath of the state from Wichita Falls all the way down to Del Rio. His primary responsibility is working with threatened and endangered species as well as species of greatest conservation need. He often collaborates with researchers from various universities, conservation organizations and zoos. He works with a variety to species and his area of expertise is reptiles.